2008, 40 yrs. Class Reunion

Saturday, 23 Aug. 2008

I managed to attend the 2008 reunion. Here are a few of the pictures. 

By chance the night before I got an inspiration and wrote a poem. I called it “ Memories in a bag“. I had with me a cloth bag my mom had sewn and I had a few ECVHS items in it which I removed and described. I couldn’t add many names because I wasn’t sure anymore if I was right. Sooooorrry But I did manage to get a few…….

Marvin Bauer had the „priviledge“ of introducing me. Thanks Marv!

In the picture below you see my school sweater and the previous reunion T-shirts.

Here I am reading the poem. The poem I’ll add in an extra entry.

Enjoying some chats with long lost friends!!

And  of course I got to meet lots of former classmates. It was great fun!! Some of the lower, individual portraits were taken at the Sunday get-together.

One of my main reasons for the poem, I noticed that my former best friend, Terry Starkey, wasn’t on the list of the deceased.

Mickey Hatch and Linda?

    

            ???, Cheryl Tate, Marvin Bauer,  Jim Bolda

   Jim Supinger and  David Maier

        

2008, Poem for the Class reunion

Memories in a Bag

Written for the 40th El Cajon Valley High School class reunion

August 23, 2008

We all have our dear memories,

Hidden somewhere far away,

Somewhere in our head,

Precious to this day.

 

Memories, of days long past,

Of times that once were here,

Sad and happy, good and bad,

Saved from year to year.

 

The days of youth, we owned the world,

At least that’s what we thought,

Care free times, for most of us,

While others went and fought.

In 68 there was a war,

And we were marching in the street,

But not as protest, nor in hate,

For us, life was still so sweet.

 

The times we had, among our friends,

A sports event, a formal ball,

With girl’s league and the marching band,

Banner corp and all.

 

Remember when? We ask tonight,

And think of that long gone year,

Yes I do, or no I don’t,

I’ve forgotten, is what we hear.

 

Some dear friends have passed away,

Others are in this room

Still others did not attend,

The reasons we can only presume.

 

I have with me memories in a bag,

here for all of you to see,

Memories of some happy times,

What’s in it? What can it be?

 

What can it be, that’s red and soft,

And worn with so much pride?

I’ve cherished mine for all this time,

Something I shouldn’t hide.

SchoolTshirt042.jpg

My high school sweater, once a must!

We wore them all the time,

With all the pins, to mark the fun,

I proudly present you mine.

Oh, what fun we had!

20 years had now gone by,

I attended, ……of that I’m glad.

Now 30 years had come and gone,

A reunion was in 98,

Again I attended, flew over from afar,

And once again I was glad…. It was great!

 

Last but not least, the most important of all.

Where most of the memories are found,

The special something, we all treasured so much,

It’s red and blue and bound.

 

“The Legend ‘68” recorded and retells,

In photos and words, in a book arranged,

Of the events back then and the people we knew,

My, how much we have changed!

 

With hopes in our hearts and dreams aimed so high,

It’s been 40 years since that day,

The most important event, in our youthful lives,

We graduated and went on our merry way.

 

Now we meet once again, the few still around,

To remember those days long gone by,

To share the memories that are still in our heads,

And of the ones that are here in a bag.

 

There is another item that I still have yet didn’t bring with me….. my high school ring. I didn’t want to risk losing it. In fact, I have two rings.

In August 2006 I once again took the long trip over the big pond to visit my family. Before I arrived, I searched the internet for some news about my former best girl friend, Terry Starkey. I couldn’t find anything. After arriving here, I decided to finally visit her mom to see if I could get an address or something. Her mom still lived in the same house, just like my folks.

From Terry’s mom I found out that Terry had passed only one month before from health issues.

That’s almost spooky, since for some reason I had felt the urge to find her. In high school we had done just about everything together, from going to dances, the movies, the beach, flirting with guys, folk dancing in Balboa Park and she was my bridesmade at my wedding in 1970. But then I moved to Germany and with time we lost contact. We met again at the 20th reunion, but again lost contact….that reunion was the last time I saw her.

Her mom gave me her class ring. Terry, I miss you and I dedicate the above poem to you.

 

2008, ECVHS Class reunion

ECVHS Reunion, Sunday Aug. 24, 2008

Not only on Saturday evening but also on Sunday we had a great class get-together. Here are a few pictures (we met as usual at the nice home of John Hodgkinson in Lakeside). Unfortunately the blue tent makes the pictures a bit off and too many names I don’t remember, though I do recognise many of them. The blue tent almost spoils the pictures.